Uncanny Valley
So...in Computer Graphics/Computer Science/Entertainment/Video Games there's a lot of talk about 'The Uncanny Valley'.
I used to have this discussion with professors in college, the 'great writers' people who were renowned for their original thoughts did not write in APA/MLA/Chicago formatted papers. They did it like this:
Have you ever been followed by a camera or other electronic construct? It is eerie. I firmly believe visible cameras with motion sensors that tracked the movement of people in their field of view (maybe after the business closes or something) would dissuade 90% of intrusions or petty crimes committed on the business's property.
Because? It's a danger signal, to us, when something mimics our movements. Look at how a cobra dances. Or even a predator corners prey. They echo the movements of the prey, to prevent it from escaping. I suspect this is why a lot of Am-in-als (mammals at least) react to having a gun pointed at them, even. Not because they recognize it as a weapon, as is the common view, but rather because it is tracking their movements. Which signals danger.
Now, add to that, there's a well known effect in the social sciences that indicates we use mimicry to communicate. Mirroring is discussed a lot as a strategy to make someone like you, or to tell if they like you, or to be successful in an interview. But there's so much more, if someone smiles, you smile, etc. In other words...the person (or CGI/artificial construct) is mimicking the movements of the person they're 'talking to'. The only thing creepier than a serpent mimicking a person, to watch, would be a whole 'cast' of them. Reasonably, even if there were no actual people present, as in a CG context.
I'm probably wrong about this. It's like, a theory or something. And it's midnight and my brain is fried. But? I still maintain it is a perfectly valid scholarly construct. And much more interesting to read than some of the crap I had to read in college.
K.
I used to have this discussion with professors in college, the 'great writers' people who were renowned for their original thoughts did not write in APA/MLA/Chicago formatted papers. They did it like this:
Have you ever been followed by a camera or other electronic construct? It is eerie. I firmly believe visible cameras with motion sensors that tracked the movement of people in their field of view (maybe after the business closes or something) would dissuade 90% of intrusions or petty crimes committed on the business's property.
Because? It's a danger signal, to us, when something mimics our movements. Look at how a cobra dances. Or even a predator corners prey. They echo the movements of the prey, to prevent it from escaping. I suspect this is why a lot of Am-in-als (mammals at least) react to having a gun pointed at them, even. Not because they recognize it as a weapon, as is the common view, but rather because it is tracking their movements. Which signals danger.
Now, add to that, there's a well known effect in the social sciences that indicates we use mimicry to communicate. Mirroring is discussed a lot as a strategy to make someone like you, or to tell if they like you, or to be successful in an interview. But there's so much more, if someone smiles, you smile, etc. In other words...the person (or CGI/artificial construct) is mimicking the movements of the person they're 'talking to'. The only thing creepier than a serpent mimicking a person, to watch, would be a whole 'cast' of them. Reasonably, even if there were no actual people present, as in a CG context.
I'm probably wrong about this. It's like, a theory or something. And it's midnight and my brain is fried. But? I still maintain it is a perfectly valid scholarly construct. And much more interesting to read than some of the crap I had to read in college.
K.